First Extremely Deep Underground Laboratory Jointly Constructed by Tsinghua University and Ertan Hydropower Development Company Now Operational for Dark Matter
By Li Han, Tsinghua News Center
China's first extremely deep underground laboratory, the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL), was opened and put into operation in Yalongjiang Jinping Hydropower Station in Sichuan province on December 12.
China Jinping Underground Laboratory, jointly constructed by Tsinghua University and Ertan Hydropower Development Company, is located 2,400 meters below the surface and is the deepest lab in the world covered by rocks.
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission Deputy Director Shao Ning, National Natural Science Foundation Vice Director Shen Wenqing, Tsinghua University Council Chairman Hu Heping, and Ertan Hydropower Development Company General Manager Chen Yunhua together inaugurated the new lab. Tsinghua University Vice President Kang Kejun and Tsinghua University Vice President Cheng Jianping also participated in the event.
The deep underground laboratory is of great importance for research on major leading basic research topics, including experiments on dark matter and neutrino physics. It is a sound environment for research on rock mechanics, earth structure, ecology, low-level radioactive materials measurement and nuclear radiation detection for environmental protection.
Deep underground labs have been built in many countries like the U.S.A., the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada and Japan. However, only the SNO lab in Canada is built 2,000 meters below the surface, with about 2070 meters of rock overburden. With the opening of the CJPL, China has a first-rate clean and low-radiation research platform and can independently carry out leading-edge basic research topics on such dark matters and other topics.
Scientists from Tsinghua University, Sichuan University, the China Institute of Atomic Energy, Nan Kai University, and Ertan Hydropower Development Company formed a collaborative entity named after CDEX to conduct dark matter detection experiments using a high-purity germanium detector (HPGe) made by germanium crystal material with the highest purity in the world. CDEX Collaboration has installed its first HPGe detector in CJPL and started its search for dark matter.
(Photo by Guo Haijun)
